Top support



1 Nov. 3l 1925.

f 1,560,269 A. Looms- AToP5sUPPoR'1" Filed Sept. l0, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. U? Gomis ATTORNEY Nov. 31 1925. 1,560,269

A. Loomis A l To? sUPPoRT Filed sept. 1o, 1919 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 3, 1925. j

UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE einen Loiirs", or rotrinehorrchnssreivonjro 'rHnwwiLLs-ovnntniirn 'coi/iran?,

or TOLEDO, oHIo, A CORPORATION or onro.

To? surrom".

Eppnation med september 1o; 1919. serial No. 323,001.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALLEN Loomis, residing at Toledo, county of Lucas, State of` Ohio, have invented certain new and useful' provide atop support capable of supporting a. top a sufficient distance rearwardly of the body to accommodate a pluralityof spare tires located adjacent the rea-n of the body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character constructed in such a manner as to permit the folding top to be pivoted to the body of the vehicle at a point near the rear end thereof.

A furthe-r obj ect of the invention is to provide a 'device of this character which is' i constructed so as to be capable of supporting the top in two positions o-f adjustment.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character, the 'parts of which are capable of being retained in folded position when not inuse. Further objects ofthe-inventionrelate to economies of manufactiire and details of construction as will hereinafter appear from the detailed description to follow.

The objects of 'the invention are accomf plish'ed in one instance by the devices and means described in the following specification, but it is evident that the same may be varied widely without departing from the sco-pe of the invention as pointed out in the appended claims. A structure constituting one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which:

Figure I is a rear end elevational view of' A ali-automobile provided with the improved top support, a portion of the; top being broken away along the line I-"I of Figure II to illustrate the position of the parts when the supporting member is in operative position for supporting the top.`

Figure Il is a side elevational View ofthe rear end portion of an automobile, illustrating the position of the supporting member when supporting the top is one of its adjusted positions. j v

Figure III is a detail rear elevation of the top supporting mechanism when the parts are retained in folded position.

Figure. IV is a side elevational .view of the rear end portion of an automobile illustrating, the position of the top supporting member when supporting the top in the up# permost of its twoadjusted positions.-

vIn the use of automobile bodies of the sport type which are comparatively low relatively to the older m`odels,cit is desirable to pivot the folding. top of the vehicle at a point near the rear end portion of the body in order to permit the top when in folded position to extend to the rear of the body a sufiicient distance not to interfere with the spare wheels ordinarily supported `at the rear end portion of the automobile. Under these circumstances it is inadvisable to em-V ploy the usual form of top supporti-ngL brackets secured tothe body of the yvehiclej and it is therefore necessary to provide other suitablev supporting means for retaining Vthe folded top in proper position and support-` ing the-same when folded. It has also beenl found to be desirable,` especially when wheel carrying devices of the type illustrated herewith are employ-ed, to provide means for supporting the top temporarily in a position raised above its usual and ordinary folded position. Moreover. when the formof wheel carrying mechanism illustrated in the accompanying. drawings is employed,` the position of the wheels is such as to makeit highly desirable to pivot the folding vtop farther towards `the rear ofthe vehicle body than is ordinarily done in order to provide sufficient room4 for the sparevwheels7 and enable the same to be supported without serious interference with the folded top.` In view of the necessity for thus pivoting the folded top 'at a point adjacent the rearend portion of the Vehicle body, and providing means for retaining the same in two positions of adjustment the present improvedform of supporting mechanism. is provided wherein the desirable features above enumerated are ol'btained, and at the saine time the supporting mechanism is constructed to enablethe 5 trated herewith, 1 indicates the body porside frame members 3 which are connected tionl of the automobile supported by the usual ground engaging wheels 2, the automobile structure comprising a frame portion including a pair of rearwardly extending to each other near the rear end portion of vthe vehicle body by means of a transverse brace member l and a transversely extending cross rod 5. A folding top 6 of the usual construction is pivoted to the vehicle body at a point adjacent the rear end portion thereof as indicated at 7, said top being provided with the usual supporting bows 8 which are adapted to support the same and 0 retain it inL propery extended position.

Pivotally mounted upon the cross rod 5 is a tire carrier 10 which is constructed so as to pivot about the rod 5k as a center, and be capable of being retained in upright position as illustrated in full lines in Figure IV, or to be swung about the rod 5 as acenter K into an inclined ground engaging position, the carrier being illustrated in the course of being swung into ground engaging position in kdotted lines in Figure IV.L vThe tire carrier comprises a pair Yofoppositely extending tapered members 11, upon whichk spare wheels 12 are capable of being releasably secured when the carrier is in its normal upright position. It will be seen upon reference to the drawings that when spare wheels are in position upon the tire carrier and the tire carrier 1s retained in its normal upright position, the upper portions ofthe spare wheels are located adjacent the rear end portion of the vehicle body and at a sufficient Iheight to interfere with the foldingy top if the same is mounted `upon the vehicle body and held by theusual bow supports secured tothe rearend portion ofthe body. In

orderto suitably accommodate the yfolding top to the spare lwheels adapted to be supported by the carrier, it has been found to be advisable to pivot the folding top at ay point somewhat nearer the rear end portion of the vehicle body than is usual in the ordinary construction`s,and provide suitably independentmeans for supporting the folded top in its folded position.

' Ihe top'supporting mechanism comprises a pair of pivotally mounted standards`14l,

' each of which is pivoted at 16 to a bearing 15 firmly secured to the cross rod 5 at points adjacent to and spaced outwardly from the points from which the carrier structure Y previously described is pivotally mounted.

The standards 14 are pivoted tothe bearings 15 carried by the cross rod so as to be capable of free movement vin a traverse vertifolded position by means of brackets 17 which extend outwardly from and are carried by the outwardly extending portions of the carrier supporting frame. Each of thebrackets 17 are provided with a pair of forked arms 18 which partially embrace and supportY the standards when the standards are,.in their folded position. Pivotally mounted as at 19 to the upper end portion of each standardpis a bow support 20, each of the bow supports being pivoted to the upper end portions of the standards so as to be capable of movement to a certain limited extenty about the upper end portion of they standard, but a stop (not shown) is provided for preventing excessive movement of each bow support about its standard in a direction outwardly thereof from the position of the top as illustrated in Figure 'I of the drawings. Each bow support comprises a main portion 21 to which is pivotally connected as at 22, a member 23 provided with projections 211.` extending inwardly therefrom for fitting between the spaces between the bows when the bows are held in position between the members 21 and 23. A link 25 is pivotally secured to the main portion 21 of the top support near the end thereof and is adapted to extend over the end portion of the member 23 whereby the member .23 may be locked into position adjacent the member 21 by means'of a suitable form of cam lever 26. It will be understood from the preceding description that the standards and bow supporting members are capable of taking up the position illustrated in Figures I and II of the drawings, wherein the bow supporting members are positioned in their outward limits of movement with respect to the upright standards, and the bows for supporting the top are positioned within and firmly held between the members 21 and 22 for supporting the top in its normal folded position.

When it is desired to raise the top into the positionillustrated in Figure IVv for the purpose of permitting the spare wheel carrier to be readily swung upon its pivots to permit removal of one of the spare wheels, the bows are released from engagement by themembers 21 and 23, and thetop raised into the position illustrated in Figure IV,y whereupon the members' 21 and 23 are again attached together by means of the link 25 and cam lever 26 whereupon the lowermost of the top supporting bows may be allowed to rest within and be supported by the slot 27 formed between the upwardly projecting end portions of the members 21 and 23. It will be seen that the top is capable of being firmly supported in this raised position while one or more of the spare wheels is removed from the carrier, and after said wheels have been removedor replaced, the top may again be lowered into the position illustrated in Figures I and II, and the bows secured between the parts of the bow supports.

lVhen the vehicle top is in its raised posipreferably swung about the standards into` the position illustrated in Figure III where they lie against the inner surfaces of the standards, and are protected against'injury. When the parts are in this folded position they may be suitably retained therein by means ofstraps 29 passed about the standards 14 and the adjacent supporting members for supporting the tire carrier. A pair of detachable iexible members 30 are provided for the purpose of limiting the outward movement of the standards 14 and each of these iiexible mem bers is preferably formed of a small chain provided with a leather or canvas covering to prevent marring of the finish upon the frame, each of these iieXible members being provided with hooks 31 at opposite ends thereof which may be iXedly or releasably positioned within suitable openings or loops formed upon the standards 14': and the tire carrier respectively. It will be readily understood that these flexible members limit the outward movement of the standards 14 whereupon the standards are incapable of being ordinarily swung outwardly beyond the position illustrated in Figure I of the drawings, in which position they are suit ably placed for supporting the bows of the folding top.

It will thus be seen that ready and efiicient means are provided for suitably supporting the top in either of two positions of adjustment, whereby the same may be retained in its normally lowered position and held against movement therein or retained in a partially raised position to facilitate the removal or replacement of the spare wheels. lVhenever the top is in its raised position, the supporting members above described may be folded into such position as to be out of the way and positioned in such a manner as to be unlikely to become injured. It will be noted that the top supporting mechanism is positioned in a plane intermediate of the transverse planes occupied by the spare wheels 12 whereupon the supporting mechanism in its folded position lies between the spare wheels and therefore entirely out of the way.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail a specific embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this showing and description is illustrative only and for the purpose of rendering my invention more clear.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, a vehicle having a folding top, a body and a frame, top supporting standards pivoted to said frame to swing behind said body transversely thereof and means for limiting the outward movement of said standards.

2. In a device of the character described, a vehicle-having a folding top, a body and a frame extending rearwardly thereof, standards pivoted to said frame to swing transversely behind said body, means limiting the inward and the outward movement of said standards and bow supports pivoted to the outer' ends of said standards.

3. In a device of the character described, a vehicle having a folding top, a body and a frame extending rearwardly thereof,

standards pivoted to said frame to swing` transversely behind said body, brackets for supporting said standards when swung inwardly, flexible members for limiting the outward movement of said standards, bow supports pivoted to the outer ends of said standards whereby they may be folded there against when the standards are swung inwardly into inoperative position.

41. In a vehicle provided with a folding top, a frame including a cross bar, standards pivotallyV mounted on opposite ends of said cross bar, top supports pivotally mounted on the ends of the standards, said top supports being adapted to be moved away from each other in the same plane to a predetermined position to engage the top.

5. In a vehicle provided with a folding top, a frame including across bar, standards pivotally mounted on opposite ends' of the cross bar, top suppogrts pivotally mounted on ends of the standards, said top ALLEN LOOMIS. 

